A little boys glorious hit!

Okay, so my son wants to be a baseball player or an athlete of some sort when he grows up. He also wants to be a policeman, a daddy and whatever it is that daddy does at the office. Isn't it great how open their futures are for them at this age...he's five. So we have been encouraging him, he plays on a competitive 7 & under baseball league up in Springfield and is loving it, but just not getting much luck with the batting.
Jeff wasn't able to be at the game tonight, so I recorded the game. The first time CX was up he struck out, but it didn't bring him down any. He ran right back into the dugout and held his head high. Then came the next time, and you could tell he was getting discouraged. He just swung the bat to be swinging. Didn't really put a lot of energy into the swings. Once again, he struck out.
The team was doing so well, the score was 12-2 in favor of the tigers, that's us, that there was six minutes left in the game and we were the home team. So, I figured the game was over, but wait, we were coming out to bat again??!? What in the world? We had already won.
Well, here comes the first batter, swings, makes the connection and is off to first base. Then comes the second batter, swings, hits the ball and runs off to first as the first runner is off to second. Then here comes CX....his heart is heavy but he is going to keep trying anyway. Well, being the baseball fan that I am, I know that baseball is very superstitious, so I stop recording the game. As soon as CX steps up to the plate I turn the camera off, and wouldn't you know it, he hits the first ball and drives it right down first base line into the outfield. Of course! Duh, why hadn't I turned it off sooner...I don't know, but I am a little upset that I didn't get to capture that glorious hit for daddy to relive with his little boy.
Jeff didn't care about not being able to see it, he was so excited that CX had his first official hit of the season! He kept saying, "Now we have the first one out of the way. There will be plenty more for me to watch at other games." CX was so excited as well, he just got the biggest grin on his face when he hit that ball and ran as hard as he could to first base.
Then the umpire called time and ended the game. I thought it was a little strange with three on base, but whatever. This is a league for little guys learning to play. Coach Matt made a big deal about CX after the game to the rest of the team, how CX hadn't hit a ball yet but it didn't stop him from trying and he kept going.
Then, after the game, Coach Matt came up to me and told me what he had done for me sweet little guy. He talked to the umpire and asked him if we could come up to bat one last time because he had one on the team that hadn't made a hit yet and really needed to. So the ump, being a good guy, said okay, lets give it a shot. God was smiling on my little guy today. It just brings me to tears to know that he has such a good hearted coach that wants to see him succeed as much as we do.
I don't know if CX will ever be the athlete that he hopes to be, but I know that he will have wonderful people who will watch him and hope he succeeds in everything that he does.

Another chapter in the book of Autumn has been finished, I am no longer Coordinator for the MOPS group at my church, Countryside Christian. I have very mixed emotions about it all, but I am glad that God provided the group with a new, wonderful, Christian Coordinator. I know Jenny with be a good fit for CCC MOPS and I am excited to see how the new year unfolds.
I only have one year left in the MOPS program as it is, with CX starting Kindergarten in the fall and Sis starting the following fall, I won't have any preschoolers at my casa anymore.

Wow, my baby boy is going to be in Kindergarten. Jeez, time does seem to go faster the older you get, doesn't it?

If you have never heard of MOPS, Mothers Of PreschoolerS, you need to check it out. It is a wonderful Christian based organization geared to help fulfill mothers needs in the preschool years. If it hadn't been for MOPS, I would not be a Christian today. This organization brought me to my salvation and I am so thankful for MOPS. It has brought me to realize that I am not alone as a mother, that all children are obnoxious at times, that there is an end to the stage they are driving you nuts in and there is a new one around the corner. I have met some wonderful women and made some friendships that I know will last past my MOPS years. God knew what he was doing when he walked me thru those doors that fall morning in 2003. I know that I am a better mother and person because of it!

This is my son's favorite picture that he has taken, EVER! Remember, he is only 5, but he did do a pretty good job. This picture was taken last fall in the front yard at our house. Choco looks kind of evil with the glowing eyes, but he was such a sweet puppy. Yes, I did say puppy! He had just turned 2 right before he got hit by a car on the highway in front of our house. It was so sad and I bawled because he was my son's dog and I had to explain what had happened to him. Man that was a tough time!

Then there is our lovely Chow Chow, Zeus. Zeus was Jeff's best friend since he was 19 years old. Jeff says that Zeus probably kept him out of a lot of trouble because he always had to come home to take care of him. Thank God for Zeus! He was such a good loving dog. I miss him something terrible. I know he was my husbands dog, but I knew him for the last 7 years of his life. He was 13 1/2 years old when we finally had to put him down this past Monday.

As I sit here crying, I can't get the image of his poor broken body laying on the garage floor. He had been walking with three legs for quite a few months now, ever since Choco died. He had really bad arthritis in his right rear leg and had a really hard time getting up from laying down. He had really started to let himself go, not cleaning himself, losing control of his bladder and such. It really was sad to watch to happen, but he still got around pretty good for his condition and never really seemed to be in a lot of pain.

Well, this past Saturday, something happened that caused him to go down hill fast. He wasn't using his back legs at all and he was dragging himself around. He got himself into the garage and there he laid. He cried in pain all day Sunday and all that night. He wouldn't really eat and just couldn't seem to get comfortable. So, we did what we thought was the most humane thing to do, we put him down. MAN, that is hard to do. I've never had to do it before, but I would rather not have to go thru it again. I cried like a baby off and on all day Monday.

My husbands best friend from the past 13 years is gone and I am the one who was a mess. I am sure Jeff is hurting. Guys, they just never show emotions like women do, do they?

My little Yadi!

I just had to brag about my guy wearing the catcher's attire at baseball practice last night. Isn't he the cutest?! I know, I know...."Mom, you're embarrassing me!" Sorry, that's my job kiddo! He was so excited about it and said that he really enjoyed catching for his teammates.

Their practice went really well, and they all seemed pretty much into the game and what was going on. I know that they don't have real long attention spans right now, but for 5 & 6 year olds they did great!
The siblings of the players seemed to keep themselves busy as well! Playing Ring Around the Rosies and Duck, Duck, Goose. It was so great to see them all getting along and having a good time as well. I am sure practices can get pretty boring for them.

Hitch Hiker

Well, today I had my bi-weekly MOPS meeting and we had a wonderful speaker today. Diane Waisner is a great Christian, Motivational speaker and had a lot of great points about parenting and how if we don't put our faith whole-hearted into God to help raise our kids, then we are doing a disservice to them. I thought that she was wonderful. I know a few were turned off by her, there are a few in the group that are agnostic, but that's okay...they are getting the seed implanted just by being with other christian mothers and hopefully someone else will do a little sowing.
There was a comment that was made by our speaker that ended up becoming quite a debate between my friend, Kendra, Daniel and myself. The speaker was trying to get her point across in how absorbent our children are to everything we say and do and was telling a story about her granddaughter. It went like this, she was traveling somewhere with her granddaughter when they happened to pass a hitch hiker. The granddaughter made a comment about that person and her grandma, Diane, said that she wished that she could help these people, but in today's society, it just isn't safe anymore, but she says a prayer for every hitch hiker that she passes. Apparently, the granddaughter said the same thing a week later to her mom about how she would like to help them, and wanted to say a prayer for them.
Okay, so here comes the debate. Kendra and I had brought this up to our friend, Daniel, after the MOPS meeting and he had a point of view that I never really contemplated before. Kendra and I were saying how we would probably never pick up a hitch hiker, especially when we have our kids with us. Not wanting to put them into a dangerous situation and all. Well, Daniel said, "If God compels you to pick this person up, don't you think that God would take care of you and your family?" Well, then the debate began. Everyone, in my opinion, having valid points, but it ended a little uncomfortably and that was that.
Okay....I know, get to the point already! I called Jeff and explained the conversation to him, and he asked me, "Autumn, have you ever felt compelled to pick up a hitch hiker?" Honestly, I could answer, "No." Then I thought for a minute and remembered a time when a man, his wife and son were broke down on the road next to my house. (It happens ALL the time.) I had just come home from somewhere with my kiddos in the back of the car and he asked me if I could give him a ride to his house just down the road, he had another vehicle there. Without even thinking twice I said sure, (even though I had my kids with me) and we drove him down to his house. He was very nice, didn't say a lot, but was so appreciative.
I never saw him drive back to the broken down car and when I drive down that road that he lives on, I can never find that house of his. But, I guess, you could say, I was compelled by God to help this man and his family out. God did provide for the safety of my children and myself and honestly, I don't know if I would do it again, but I think if it was compelled by God, I wouldn't even think, I would just do.
Any comments on that one?